Cangene Advances Alzheimer's Disease Research with Technology Developed at the University of British Columbia

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Information at the end of this release.

TSX: CNJ

WINNIPEG & VANCOUVER, Feb. 21, 2013 /CNW/ - A truly made-in-Canada
treatment for one of the world's most devastating diseases could be
closer to patients thanks to a new technology targeting Alzheimer's
Disease developed at The University of British Columbia (UBC) and
licensed to Cangene Corporation (Cangene). Following the successful
research collaboration with the inventor, Dr. Neil Cashman at UBC,
Cangene recently obtained commercial rights to the technology platform
and plans to advance the program in its pipeline to explore treatments
for Alzheimer's Disease, a significant unmet medical need with an
increasing burden on health-care systems.

Cangene, with core competencies in the development and commercialization
of biologic therapeutics, has established a strong pipeline platform
for antibody therapies. Dr. Cashman's discovery will allow Cangene to
advance an immune therapeutic treatment approach to Alzheimer's by
targeting the toxic form of Amyloid-beta with the potential to directly
impact the disease mechanism of action. Current treatment options are
limited and the number of individuals afflicted with this degenerative
disease is growing rapidly as the population ages, currently estimated
to be 25 million worldwide.

"We are pleased to have the opportunity to collaborate with Dr. Cashman
who is an expert in misfolded protein diseases and help advance his
ground-breaking research in Alzheimer's Disease" says Dr. Laura Saward,
Cangene's Chief Scientific Officer. "While this work is in its early
stages, it is showing promise for the development of a novel
immunotherapy to address this devastating disease and fits Cangene's
refocused strategy" adds Dr. Saward.

The Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR) is an important
sponsor of the Alzheimer's Disease program. The discoveries made by Dr.
Cashman were supported by research funding through CIHR and further
advanced through a research collaboration between UBC, the
federally-funded Prionet Network Centre of Excellence and Cangene,
UBC's pharmaceutical industry partner.

UBC and Cangene continue to collaborate on the development of treatments
for Alzheimer's Disease with support from CIHR's Proof of Principle
Program Phase II. The joint research program to evaluate the
therapeutic potential of the target as a vaccine or antibody
therapeutic was successful in the latest competition and CIHR has
committed to provide $300,000 in funding over a one year period further
cementing this as a made-in-Canada solution that has the potential to
address this global problem.

"This is an all-Canadian solution in terms of its discovery, development
and advancement towards the clinic," says Dr. J.P. Heale, Associate
Director of UBC's University-Industry Liaison Office. "The partnerships
developed to advance Dr. Cashman's outstanding research are an
excellent example of how Canadian universities, funding agencies and
industry partners can work together to tackle a devastating disease of
national and global importance."

About Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's currently afflicts approximately 25 million individuals
worldwide and is becoming ever more prevalent as life expectancy
increases. Dr. Cashman in the department of Neurology at UBC has
discovered a new way to target the disease with antibodies that could
stop its progression and potentially lead to a preventative vaccine. It
has long been accepted that a particular protein (amyloid beta) is at
the heart of Alzheimer's. To date, therapies have been developed that
target the build-up of this protein in the brain referred to as
plaques. However, more recently, it has been scientifically accepted
that it is a specific form of this protein, which exists prior to their
formation into plaques that actually attacks the brain and causes
Alzheimer's.

About Cangene Corporation

Cangene Corporation (TSX: CNJ), headquartered in Winnipeg, Canada, is
one of the nation's oldest and largest biopharmaceutical companies. It
is focused on the development and commercialization of specialty
therapeutics. Cangene's products are sold worldwide and include
products that have been accepted into the U.S. Strategic National
Stockpile. Cangene has offices in three locations across North America.
It operates manufacturing facilities in Winnipeg, Manitoba and
Baltimore, Maryland (through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Cangene
bioPharma, Inc.) where it produces its own products and undertakes
contract manufacturing for a number of customers. Cangene also operates
a plasma-collection facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba under the name
Cangene Plasma Resources. Its U.S. sales and marketing office is
located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For more information about
Cangene, visit the Company's website at www.cangene.com.

About The University of British Columbia

The University of British Columbia (UBC) is one of North America's
largest public research and teaching institutions, and one of only two
Canadian institutions consistently ranked among the world's 40 best
universities. UBC is a place that inspires bold, new ways of thinking
that have helped make it a national leader in areas as diverse as
community service learning, sustainability and research
commercialization. UBC offers more than 50,000 students a range of
innovative programs and attracts $550 million per year in research
funding from government, non-profit organizations and industry through
7,000 grants.

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